TRVLT 06

— I! Absolutely! Hate! This! Hey, people of the neighborhood! This useless excuse for a master is trying to kill poor Needle! Woe is me, what sin did I commit to suffer trials like this—not once, not twice, but three times! Everyone, my master is abandoning her beloved companion Needle and trying to die all alone!

“Okay, okay, I get it….”

Ariletti clamped her hands over her ears.

Then what am I supposed to do? Should I reveal that I’m a Sage?

But if Needle keeps being this uncooperative, I can’t use my power. And without that, what proof could I possibly give?

More importantly—what if I recklessly reveal my identity and end up shackled by them?

The vicious words that had once pierced her like daggers echoed vividly in her ears.

“If you won’t swear loyalty to me, then I have no choice. I’ll kill you and keep only your power.”

“Friend? How naïve, Ariletti. You were never my friend. You were a precious offering meant for my elder brother.”

“You don’t have much life left anyway. Wouldn’t it be fulfilling to use it for something worthwhile?”

Am I going to repeat that life all over again?

The color drained from Ariletti’s face.

No. I refuse!

Her inner defenses swelled in an instant.

As she shook her head violently, almost convulsively, Glen frowned—then quickly realized his mistake.

“Ariletti.”

“Y-Yes. Hic.”

“I’m not trying to scare you, so don’t cry.”

Glen lifted her up effortlessly and ruffled her straight bangs into a mess. His voice softened.

“Aril, do you have any family?”

The casual nickname made her pause.

“N-No….”

“Siblings? Relatives? Anyone you know at all?”

“No.”

Her father had been beheaded before she was even born. Her mother had fled for a year with her infant daughter before being captured and executed. That was what Albert had told her in her first life.

It was such a distant story that she had never once imagined her parents—not in either life. The only thing she remembered was her mother’s voice.

“Always remain neutral, Aril. The Sage of the White Forest who bears this Needle must stand one step apart from the mortal world.”

Other than that, Ariletti knew nothing about her family.

Glen did not miss the ripple in the child’s eyes.

“Do you have anywhere to stay?”

“No….”

“Do you remember how you ended up in the middle of the snowfield?”

“I was abandoned—”

She answered honestly, then flinched.

Get a grip. You can’t be this honest, Ariletti.

Though she had used countless methods to try to bring Glen Hezeit down, she had never known his human side.

The world called him a steadfast, righteous knight among knights. She knew he had spared her life once out of mercy. But—

He’s still human.

If she used her power in front of him, he would surely covet it too. And right now, she had nowhere to run.

Stupid Ariletti. You’re too soft—that’s why you were betrayed twice.

“I—I want to go to Uncle Duncan.”

Instinct screamed at her to escape.

The moment he set her down, she shot off like an arrow.

Glen watched her for a long time as she fled toward the knights as if running for her life.

At this point, what exactly is the “White Forest”?

The White Forest is the center of this world—the navel of the continent—the great natural force where the principles and order of all things are determined. In short, it is the world itself.

Setting aside the complex explanation, geographically it is a massive forest located at the very heart of the continent.

Not only the trunks but the branches, leaves—even the fruit—are pure white. A vast woodland formed from clusters of mysterious trees of unknown origin.

An invisible barrier surrounds the forest, strictly forbidding entry to outsiders.

Those who attacked it were devoured by the barrier without exception. Only beings originating from the forest could pass freely through it: the four Sages who guard its east, west, south, and north.

The one who oversees the time of the world.
The one who constructs the space of the world.
The one who reads countless futures.
The one who shapes graves in the name of fate.

The Sages did not remain only within the White Forest.

They traveled the world seeking successors to inherit their mission—sometimes their own blood, sometimes a chosen disciple, sometimes a complete stranger.

Because of their immense power, the Sages of the White Forest were always coveted throughout history.

In some eras, they were revered with lofty worship. In others, they were treated like spoils of war to be seized and stolen.

Rulers of powerful nations sought not only the Sages but the heirs they designated.

Many times, Sages were assassinated or tortured to death, their powers forcibly transferred to their successors.

The more a Sage used their ability, the shorter their lifespan became. When one died, their power would be passed on again—to another heir who would then be exploited in turn.

In other words, if one captured a Sage, one could endlessly exploit their power. Such things were common until roughly a century ago.

Then, when the last remaining Sage vanished, the lineage ended.

The entire continent searched desperately for the disappeared Sages, but no one succeeded.

A fruitless century passed.

And then Ariletti appeared in the world—

Seven years from now, led by the hand of First Prince Albert.

Which is why revealing her identity required extreme caution.

She must not draw attention.

…But she couldn’t just let this pass.

Late at night, when the inn’s lights had gone out, Ariletti slipped from her room, careful with her footsteps.

Leon Bodafetti, captain of the “Black Lion Corps,” was bound in the stable.

A gag stuffed his mouth. His wrists were tied behind his back. The slash across his side, inflicted by Sir Roel, had been roughly wrapped in bandages, now soaked with blood.

Ariletti’s eyes darkened coldly.

That weasel-faced lapdog of the Empress. It’s been a while.

Sensing her presence, Leon jerked his head up.

“Mm—mmph! L-little… come… here!”

He growled incomprehensibly like a beast. From what she could gather, he was demanding she come closer and untie him.

Ariletti stepped over the straw and obediently approached. Then she lightly tapped his knee with her toe.

“You were my chief torturer in my first life, weren’t you? Bodafetti.”

“M—mph?”

At the end of her first life, after Albert betrayed her and threw her into prison, this was the man who had tortured her.

They hadn’t been close, but as fellow retainers of the First Prince, she had thought of him as an ally.

A colossal misunderstanding.

“Do not resent our lord too much, Ariletti. To serve as a cornerstone on the path he treads—is that not a great honor for you?”

Even now, in her second life, the shoulder he had mercilessly seared with a branding iron while spouting those words still throbbed.

“Needle. Do you remember this bastard too?”

Instead of an answer, a vicious screech rang out.

The three overlapping needles walked forward like a person and stopped before Leon.

The shrill tone Needle usually used shifted completely.

— I could never forget. The henchman of human trash.

“It’d be a shame to just drag him along like this. Right?”

A man whose loyalty ran that deep might commit suicide along the way.

“So we should at least use the ‘Blessing of the Time Sorcerer,’ don’t you think?”

— Obviously.

With a long needle, Needle lightly tapped the man’s cheek, then settled atop his head.

The hour, minute, and second hands aligned in their positions, and a golden veil descended over Leon Bodafetti’s body.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Hearing the clock above him, Leon’s body convulsed.

An irresistible force pressed down on him, suppressing and compelling him.

The plump-cheeked, angel-faced little girl raised a finger to her lips.

“Shh. If you want to become an excellent chess piece, you can’t look so defiant, mister.”

The ticking stopped abruptly.

The beastlike sounds leaking from Leon’s mouth were cut off mid-breath.

The time of his body had stopped.

The Blessing of the Time Sorcerer.

It consumed less power than invoking her full ability, yet its effect was always absolute—Ariletti’s specialty.

His biological processes had halted. His wound would not worsen—

But neither would it heal.

The excruciating pain he felt now would remain with him indefinitely.

For as long as Ariletti chose not to lift the blessing.

“Cooperate with the Young Lord, mister. Do what you’re told well, and I might let this wound heal. Okay?”

Of course, even if Leon swore loyalty to Glen, she had not the slightest intention of removing the blessing.

As much as I suffered, you should suffer too.

An eye for an eye.

That was how Ariletti the villainess lived.